Centering mechanism for articulation joint

ABSTRACT

An articulation assembly includes a proximal joint, a distal joint, a joint housing, and a plunger. The proximal joint is configured to couple to a central section of a drive shaft and to rotate in response to rotation of the drive shaft. The distal joint is rotatably coupled to the proximal joint such that rotation of the proximal joint effects rotation of the distal joint. The distal joint is configured to couple to a distal section of a drive shaft to rotate the distal section in response to rotation of the distal joint. The joint housing is disposed over the proximal and distal joints. The distal joint is rotatable relative to the joint housing. The plunger is engaged with the joint housing to prevent the joint housing from rotating from a centered position until the distal joint reaches a maximum articulation angle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/279,035 filed Jan. 15, 2016, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more specifically, to centering mechanisms for articulation joints of surgical instruments.

2. Discussion of Related Art

A number of surgical instrument manufacturers have developed product lines with proprietary powered drive systems for operating and/or manipulating the surgical instrument. In many instances the surgical instruments include a powered handle assembly, which is reusable, and a disposable end effector or the like that is selectively connected to the powered handle assembly prior to use and then disconnected from the end effector following use in order to be disposed of or in some instances sterilized for re-use.

Generally, existing end effectors use adapters to convert the motion of the handle assemblies, powered or manual, into suitable motion for use with existing powered surgical instruments and/or handle assemblies of end effectors. The adapters may include articulation joints for articulating the end effectors relative to a longitudinal axis of the adapter. The articulation joints may articulate the end effector up, down, right, and/or left relative to the longitudinal axis of the adapter. The articulation joints may require multiple joints (e.g., universal joints) to achieve a desired articulation angle.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates generally to a centering mechanism for articulation joints that biases one or more joints of an articulation joint towards a centered position. Biasing one or more joints of an articulation joint may make the articulation of the articulation joint more predictable. Specifically, when an articulation joint includes multiple joints, biasing one of the joints towards a centered position may control the order of articulation of the joints. As detailed herein below, when a proximal joint is biased towards a centered position, a distal joint articulates to a predetermined angle before articulating the proximal joint.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, an articulation assembly includes a proximal joint, a distal joint, a joint housing, and a plunger. The proximal joint is configured to couple to a central section of a drive shaft and to rotate in response to rotation of the drive shaft. The distal joint is rotatably coupled to the proximal joint such that rotation of the proximal joint effects rotation of the distal joint. The distal joint is configured to couple to a distal section of a drive shaft to rotate the distal section in response to rotation of the distal joint. The joint housing is disposed over the proximal and distal joints. The distal joint is rotatable relative to the joint housing. The plunger is engaged with the joint housing to prevent the joint housing from rotating from a centered position until the distal joint reaches a maximum articulation angle.

In aspects, the articulation assembly includes a guide housing and a biasing spring. The guide housing may define a channel and guide slots. The biasing spring may be disposed within the channel and may be engaged with the plunger to bias the plunger towards the proximal joint. The plunger may include a base and fingers extending distally from the base. The base may be disposed within the channel of the guide housing and each of the fingers may be received within a respective guide slot of the guide housing. The joint housing may include posts that extend from an outer surface of the joint housing. Each of the fingers of the plunger may be aligned with a respective post of the joint housing. In the centered position of the joint housing, each of the fingers of the plunger may be engaged with a respective post of the joint housing.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, an adapter includes a proximal portion, an elongate portion, a distal portion, and an articulation assembly. The proximal portion is configured to couple to a handle. The elongate portion extends from the proximal portion and defines a longitudinal axis. The distal portion is supported at a distal end of the elongate portion. The articulation assembly is disposed in the distal portion and is configured to couple to and articulate an end effector assembly relative to the longitudinal axis. The articulation assembly includes a proximal joint, a distal joint, a joint housing, and a plunger. The joint housing is disposed over the proximal and distal joints. The plunger is engaged with the joint housing to maintain the proximal joint in a centered position until the articulation assembly is articulated beyond a maximum articulation angle of the distal joint.

In aspects, the articulation assembly includes a gimbal positioned within the joint housing over the distal joint. The gimbal may be connected to articulation cables that extend through the elongate portion to the proximal portion. Tensioning of a respective one of the articulation cables may articulate the gimbal relative to the longitudinal axis. The joint housing may include a distal sphere positioned over the distal joint and the gimbal. The distal sphere may define openings and the gimbal may define cable grooves. Each of the cable grooves may be in communication with a respective one of the openings. Each of the articulation cables may include an end that passes through a respective one of the openings and is received within a respective one of the cable grooves in communication with the respective one of the openings.

In some aspects, the joint housing includes a proximal sphere and a distal sphere. The proximal joint may be disposed within the proximal sphere and the distal joint may be disposed within the distal sphere. The joint housing may include posts that extend from an outer surface of the proximal sphere. The plunger may include fingers that are engaged with respective posts when the proximal joint is in the centered position.

In certain aspects, the articulation assembly includes a guide housing and a biasing spring that are disposed within the distal portion. The guide housing may define a central channel and guide slots. The biasing spring may be disposed within the central channel and engaged with the plunger to bias the plunger distally. The plunger may include a base and fingers extending distal from the base. The base may be slidably received within the central channel of the guide housing and the fingers may be slidably received within the guide slots of the guide housing.

In particular aspects, the adapter may include a drive shaft that extends from the proximal portion through the gimbal. The drive shaft may have a central segment and a distal segment. The central segment of the drive shaft may engage the proximal joint to effect rotation of the proximal joint. The proximal joint may effect rotation of the distal joint in response to rotation of the central segment of the drive shaft. The distal joint may effect rotation of the distal segment in response to rotation of the central segment. The distal segment may be configured to engage an end effector coupled to the articulation assembly. The guide housing may be fixed within the distal end of the elongate portion.

The maximum articulation angle of the proximal joint may be equal to or different from a maximum articulation angle of the distal joint. The maximum articulation angle of the proximal joint may be about 30° or up to about 45°. The maximum articulation angle of the proximal joint may be less than the maximum articulation angle of the distal joint.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of articulating an articulation assembly having proximal and distal joints. The method includes retracting an articulation cable that is operably associated with the distal joint to actuation the distal joint to a maximum of angle of articulation while the proximal joint is maintained in a centered position. The method also includes further retracting the articulation cable with the distal joint remaining at the maximum angle of articulation and the proximal joint actuates from the centered position and releasing the articulation cable with the distal joint remaining at the maximum angle of articulation until the proximal joint returns to the centered position.

Further, to the extent consistent, any of the aspects described herein may be used in conjunction with any or all of the other aspects described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the present disclosure are described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary surgical system in accordance with the present disclosure including a powered handle, an adapter, and an end effector;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the adapter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the indicated area of detail of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view, with parts separated, of a distal portion of the adapter of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 5A-5A of FIG. 2 illustrating the adapter in a straight configuration;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line 5B-5B of FIG. 2 illustrating the adapter in a straight configuration with a proximal joint in a straight position;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 5A in an articulated configuration with the proximal joint in a straight position;

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 5B in an articulated configuration with the proximal joint in the straight position;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 5A in an articulated configuration with the proximal joint in an articulated position; and

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 5B in an articulated configuration with the proximal joint in an articulated position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are now described in detail with reference to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. As used herein, the term “clinician” refers to a doctor, a nurse, or any other care provider and may include support personnel. Throughout this description, the term “proximal” refers to the portion of the device or component thereof that is closest to the clinician and the term “distal” refers to the portion of the device or component thereof that is farthest from the clinician.

This disclosure relates generally to articulation assemblies for use with electromechanical surgical systems and/or manually driven surgical systems. The surgical systems of the present disclosure include surgical instruments in the form of powered handheld electromechanical instruments configured for selective attachment to a plurality of different end effectors that are each configured for actuation and manipulation by the powered handheld electromechanical surgical instrument. Each adapter assembly includes an articulation assembly and a firing assembly that is operatively coupled to a powered handheld electromechanical surgical instrument for effectuating actuation and/or manipulation thereof.

The articulation assembly includes one or more articulation cables that interconnect a gimbal and an articulation mechanism within the adapter assembly. The gimbal is operatively connected with at least one articulation joint such that axial movement of one or more of the articulation cables rotates the gimbal to bend the firing assembly in response to rotation of the gimbal to effectuate articulation of the end effector about a distal portion of the adapter assembly. The proximal universal joint of the at least one universal joint is biased towards a centered position. By biasing the proximal universal joint, the articulation of the articulation assembly is more predictable. Specifically, when there are two universal joints, a proximal universal joint and a distal universal joint, the biasing of the proximal universal joint is overcome when the distal universal joint reaches a maximum of angle of articulation such that the distal universal joint is fully articulated before the proximal universal joint is rotated as detailed below.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an electromechanical surgical system 10 in accordance with the present disclosure includes a powered handle 100, an adapter assembly 200, and a loading unit 300 (e.g., an end effector, multiple- or single-use loading unit). The powered handle 100 is configured for selective connection with the adapter assembly 200, and, in turn, the adapter assembly 200 is configured for selective connection with the loading unit 300. Together, the powered handle 100 and the adapter assembly 200 may cooperate to actuate the loading unit 300.

The powered handle 100 includes a drive mechanism (not shown) that is configured to drive shafts and/or gear components to perform various operations of the electromechanical surgical system 10. In particular, the drive mechanism is configured to actuate cables 480 (FIG. 3) of an articulation assembly 400 to articulate the loading unit 300 relative to the adapter assembly 200 as described in detail below. For a detailed description of an exemplary powered handle, reference may be made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/736,712, filed Jun. 11, 2015. For a detailed description of an exemplary adapter, reference may be made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/145,794, filed Apr. 10, 2015. The entire contents of each of these disclosures are incorporated by reference herein.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the adapter assembly 200 includes a proximal portion 202, an elongate portion 204, a distal portion 206, and a loading unit connector 208. The proximal portion 202 is configured to couple the adapter assembly 200 to the powered handle 100 (FIG. 1). The elongate portion 204 extends from the proximal portion 202 to the distal portion 206 and defines a longitudinal axis A-A of the adapter assembly 200. The distal portion 206 includes an articulation assembly 400 that is configured to articulate the loading unit connector 208 relative to the longitudinal axis A-A as described in detail below. The loading unit connector 208 is positioned distal to the distal portion 206 and is configured to couple the adapter assembly 200 to the loading unit 300 (FIG. 1).

With additional reference to FIGS. 4, 5A, and 5B, the articulation assembly 400 is in an aligned configuration and includes a guide housing 410, a biasing spring 420, a plunger 430, a proximal joint 440, a distal joint 450, a gimbal 460, a joint housing 470, and articulation cables 480. The adapter assembly 200 includes a drive shaft 250 that passes through the articulation assembly 400 and the loading unit connector 208 to operably couple to the loading unit 300 (FIG. 1). The guide housing 410 is positioned about the drive shaft 250 and is secured within the distal portion 206 by screws 207 which pass through the elongate portion 204 and into the guide housing 410. The guide housing 410 defines guide slots 412 and a central channel 414. The drive shaft 250 includes a bearing 252 that supports a central section 254 of the drive shaft 250 within the central channel 414 of the guide housing 410. The biasing spring 420 is positioned within the central channel 414 of the guide housing 410 about the drive shaft 250.

The plunger 430 is positioned about the drive shaft 250 distal of the guide housing 410 and the biasing spring 420. The plunger 430 includes a base 432 and fingers 434 that extend distally from the base 432. The base 432 is sized to slide within the central channel 414 of the guide housing 410 and is engaged by the biasing spring 420 to urge the plunger 430 distally. Each of the fingers 434 of the plunger 430 slide within a respective one of the guide slots 412 of the guide housing 410. The guide slots 412 permit longitudinal translation of the fingers 434 while preventing the plunger 430 from rotating about the drive shaft 250. With particular reference to FIG. 5B, the fingers 434 are positioned radially beyond the bearing 252 such that the fingers 434 freely slide past the bearing 252.

The proximal joint 440, the distal joint 450, and the gimbal 460 are disposed within the joint housing 470 which includes a proximal sphere 472 and a distal sphere 474. The joint housing 470 is formed from two half-shells that are coupled together with the proximal sphere 472 positioned over the proximal joint 440 and the distal sphere 474 positioned over the distal joint 450 and the gimbal 460. The central section 254 of the drive shaft 250 engages the proximal joint 440 to affect rotation of the proximal joint 440. The proximal joint 440 is coupled to the distal joint 450 to affect rotation of the distal joint 450 which rotates a distal section 256 of the drive shaft 250 that extends through the loading unit connector 208 in response to rotation of the proximal joint 440. It will be appreciated that the proximal and distal joints 440, 450 permit rotation of the central section 254 of the drive shaft 250 to affect rotation of the distal section 256 of the drive shaft 250 when the articulation assembly 400 is articulated at any of a plurality of angles relative to the longitudinal axis A-A.

With particular reference to FIG. 5B, the proximal sphere 472 of the joint housing 470 includes four posts 476 that extend from an outer surface of the proximal sphere 472. The posts 476 are aligned with the fingers 434 of the plunger 430 such that each of the fingers 434 engage a respective one of the posts 476 to bias the joint housing 470 and the proximal joint 440 towards a centered position. In the centered position, each of the fingers 434 of the plunger 430 is engaged with a respective one of the posts 476 such that the proximal joint 440 is aligned with the longitudinal axis A-A.

With particular reference to FIG. 5A, the articulation cables 480 extend from the proximal portion 202 (FIG. 2) of the adapter assembly 200 to the gimbal 460 to affect rotation of the gimbal 460 relative to the longitudinal axis A-A. Specifically, a distal end 482 of each articulation cable 480 passes through a respective opening 478 in the distal sphere 474 of the joint housing 470 and is received within a respective cable groove 462 defined in the gimbal 460. As one or more of the articulation cables 480 is tensioned, the tensioned articulation cable(s) 480 rotates the gimbal 460 relative to the longitudinal axis A-A such that the proximal and distal joints 440, 450 are articulated as detailed below.

With reference to FIGS. 5A-7B, the articulation of the articulation assembly 400 is described in accordance with the present disclosure. Initially referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the biasing spring 420 urges each of the fingers 434 of the plunger 430 into engagement a respective one of the posts 476 of the joint housing 470 to center the joint housing 470, and thus the proximal joint 440, in the centered position. In addition, each of the articulation cables 480 is tensioned substantially equal to one another such that the gimbal 460, and thus the distal joint 450, is centered such that the articulation assembly 400 is in an aligned configuration. In the aligned configuration, the central section 254 and the distal section 256 of the drive shaft 250 are substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis A-A.

To articulate the articulation assembly 400 relative to the longitudinal axis A-A, the tension on one or more of the articulation cables 480 increased and/or the tension on one or more of the other articulation cables 480 is decreased to rotate the gimbal 460 relative to the longitudinal axis A-A, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As the tension on one or more of the articulation cables 480 is changed, the gimbal 460 is rotated in the direction of the one or more of the articulation cables 480 having greater tension than the other articulation cables 480. As the gimbal 460 is rotated, the gimbal 460 rotates the articulation assembly 400. Specifically, in response to rotation of the gimbal 460, the distal joint 450 is rotated with the gimbal 460 until the distal joint 450 reaches a maximum angle of articulation or rotation as shown in FIG. 6A. When rotation of the distal joint 450 is less than its maximum angle of rotation, the engagement of the fingers 434 of the plunger 430 with the posts 476 of the joint housing 470 prevent rotation of the proximal joint 440 as shown in FIG. 6B.

With particular reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the one or more of the articulation cables 480 are tensioned to rotate the gimbal beyond the maximum angle of rotation of the distal joint 450, the proximal joint 440 is rotated from the centered position to an articulated position. Specifically, when the distal joint 450 approaches or reaches its maximum angle of rotation, continued rotation of the gimbal 460 effects rotation of the joint housing 470 such that one or more of the posts 476 engage respective fingers 434 of the plunger 430 to translate the plunger 430 proximally against the bias of the biasing spring 420 to rotate the proximal joint 440 as shown in FIG. 7B. The joint housing 470, and thus the proximal joint 440, continues rotation until the gimbal 460 is rotated to a desired position or the proximal joint 440 reaches a maximum angle of articulation or rotation. The maximum angle of rotation of the proximal and distal joints 440, 450 may be equal to one another (e.g., 30°) or different from one another (e.g., the maximum angle of rotation of the proximal joint 440 may be greater than or less than the maximum angle of rotation of the distal joint 450). It will be appreciated that the maximum angle of articulation of the articulation assembly 400 is the sum of the maximum angle of rotation of proximal joint 440 and the maximum angle of rotation of the distal joint 450.

To return the articulation assembly 400 to the aligned configuration, tension is released from the one or more of the articulation cables 480 and/or tension is increased on one or more of the articulation cables 480 such that the tension in each of the articulation cables 480 is substantially equal to one another. As the tension of the articulation cables 480 is equalized between the articulation cables 480, the biasing spring 420 distally urges the fingers 434 into contact with the posts 476 to return the proximal joint 440 to the centered position before the distal joint 450 rotates away from its maximum angle of rotation. Once the proximal joint 440 is in the centered position, the distal joint 450 rotates towards until the gimbal 460 is returned to the aligned configuration.

It will be appreciated that by controlling the order of articulation of the proximal and distal joints 440, 450 (i.e., ensuring that the distal joint 450 articulates to its maximum articulation angle before the proximal joint 440 is articulated and returning the proximal joint 440 to its centered position before articulating the distal joint 450 away from its maximum articulation angle) that the articulation of the articulation assembly 400 may be more predictable. In addition, the biasing of the proximal joint 440 towards the centered position may provide a more stable and rigid articulation joint by automatically adjusting for cable stretch which reduces backlash in the articulation joint.

While several embodiments of the disclosure have been shown in the drawings, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Any combination of the above embodiments is also envisioned and is within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope of the claims appended hereto. 

What is claimed:
 1. An articulation assembly comprising: a proximal joint configured to couple to a central section of a drive shaft and to rotate in response to rotation of the drive shaft; and a distal joint rotatably coupled to the proximal joint such that rotation of the proximal joint effects rotation of the distal joint, the distal joint configured to couple to a distal section of a drive shaft to rotate the distal section in response to rotation of the distal joint, wherein the proximal joint is biased towards a centered position until the distal joint reaches a maximum articulation angle.
 2. The articulation assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a joint housing disposed over the proximal and distal joints, the proximal joint rotatably fixed relative to the joint housing, the joint housing in the centered position until the distal joint reaches a maximum articulation angle.
 3. The articulation assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a plunger engaged with the joint housing to bias the joint housing to the centered position until the distal joint reaches a maximum articulation angle.
 4. The articulation assembly according to claim 3, further comprising a guide housing and a biasing spring, the guide housing defining a channel and guide slots, the biasing spring disposed within the channel and engaged with the plunger to bias the plunger towards the proximal joint.
 5. The articulation assembly according to claim 4, wherein the plunger includes a base and fingers extending distally from the base, the base disposed within the channel of the guide housing and each of the fingers received within a respective guide slot of the guide housing.
 6. The articulation assembly according to claim 5, wherein the joint housing includes posts extending from an outer surface thereof, each finger of the plunger aligned with a respective post of the joint housing.
 7. The articulation assembly according to claim 6, wherein each finger of the plunger engages a respective post of the joint housing to define the centered position of the joint housing to translate the joint housing to the centered position.
 8. An adapter comprising: a proximal portion configured to couple to a handle; an elongate portion extending from the proximal portion defining a longitudinal axis; a distal portion is supported at a distal end of the elongate portion; and an articulation assembly configured to couple to and articulate an end effector assembly relative to the longitudinal axis, the articulation assembly including: a proximal joint; a distal joint; a joint housing disposed over the proximal and distal joints; and a plunger engaged with the joint housing to maintain the proximal joint in a centered position until the articulation assembly is articulated beyond a maximum articulation angle of the distal joint.
 9. The adapter according to claim 8, wherein the articulation assembly includes a gimbal positioned within the joint housing over the distal joint, the gimbal connected to articulation cables that extend to the proximal portion through the elongate portion, wherein tensioning of a respective one of the articulation cables articulates the gimbal relative to the longitudinal axis.
 10. The adapter according to claim 9, wherein the joint housing includes a distal sphere positioned over the distal joint and the gimbal, the distal sphere defining openings and the gimbal defining cable grooves, each cable groove in communication with a respective one of the openings.
 11. The adapter according to claim 10, wherein each articulation cable includes an end that passes through a respective one of the openings and is received within a respective one of the cable grooves in communication with the respective one of the openings.
 12. The adapter according to claim 8, wherein the joint housing includes a proximal sphere and a distal sphere, the proximal joint disposed within the proximal sphere and the distal joint disposed within the distal sphere.
 13. The adapter according to claim 12, wherein the joint housing includes posts extending from an outer surface of the proximal sphere, and wherein the plunger includes fingers, each finger engaged with a respective post when the proximal joint is in the centered position.
 14. The adapter according to claim 8, wherein the articulation assembly includes a guide housing and a biasing spring disposed within the distal portion, the guide housing defining a central channel and guide slots, the biasing spring disposed within the central channel and engaged with the plunger to bias the plunger distally.
 15. The adapter according to claim 14, wherein the plunger includes a base and fingers extending distally from the base, the base slidably received within the central channel of the guide housing and the fingers slidably received within the guide slots of the guide housing.
 16. The adapter according to claim 14, further comprising a drive shaft extending from the proximal portion through the gimbal, the drive shaft having a central segment and a distal segment, the central segment of the drive shaft engaging the proximal joint to effect rotation of the proximal joint, the proximal joint affecting rotation of the distal joint in response to rotation of the central segment of the drive shaft, the distal joint affecting rotation of the distal segment in response to rotation of the central segment, the distal segment configured to engage an end effector coupled to the articulation assembly.
 17. The adapter according to claim 14, wherein the guide housing is fixed within the distal end of the elongate portion.
 18. The adapter according to claim 8, where a maximum articulation angle of the proximal joint is equal to the maximum articulation angle of the distal joint.
 19. The adapter according to claim 8, wherein the maximum articulation angle of the proximal joint is different from the maximum articulation angle of the distal joint.
 20. A method of actuating an articulation assembly having proximal and distal joints, the method comprising: retracting an articulation cable operably associated with the distal joint to actuate the distal joint to a maximum angle of articulation, the proximal joint remaining in a centered position; further retracting the articulation cable, the distal joint remaining at the maximum angle of articulation and the proximal joint actuates from the centered position; and releasing the articulation cable, the distal joint remaining at the maximum angle of articulation until the proximal joint returns to the centered position. 